Elgato EYEHOME User’s Guide

Elgato Systems, LLC

EyeHome
User’s Guide

© 2004
Elgato Systems, LLC
900 Kearny Street, Suite 750
San Francisco, CA 94133-5145

USA

[e-mail]

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Installation

Welcome to EyeHome 2
EyeHome System Requirements 2
Installing the EyeHome Software 3
Connecting EyeHome to a Television 3
Connecting EyeHome to a Network 4
Launching EyeHome for the First Time 5
Registering EyeHome Online 5

Using EyeHome

Login Screen 6
EyeHome Screen 7
EyeTV Screen 9
Movies Screen 10
Music Screen 11
Pictures Screen 12
Web Screen 13

Remote Control

Remote Control 14
Remote Commands 15

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Preferences/Setup

Setup Screen 19
Options 19
Network 21
Time 22
Update 22

Troubleshooting

Stopping EyeHome 23
Starting EyeHome 23
Resetting EyeHome 23
Loss of Image 24
Loss of EyeHome Server 25
Content Not Available 25
Downloading Updates 26
Getting Help 26

Technical Specs

EyeHome Specifications 27
Limited Warranty for EyeHome 29

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EyeHome User’s Guide

InstallationChapter 1

Welcome to EyeHome!

Thank you for purchasing EyeHome. This guide shows you how to use EyeHome
to transmit movies, music and pictures from your Macintosh to a television
set. It covers installing and configuring the EyeHome hardware and software,
and includes instructions for using the most common features of the EyeHome
system.

EyeHome System Requirements

EyeHome requires the following minimum system configuration:

• Any Mac with a PowerPC® G4 500 MHz or G5 processor

that meets Apple’s requirements for OS X support

• A built-in Ethernet port, or Ethernet card

• Mac OS X 10.3 or later, or 10.2.8 or later with QuickTime 6.4

or later and QuickTime for Java 1.4.1 or later (available via

system software update)

• Minimum 20 MB free hard disk space

• iPhoto, iTunes installed for viewing photo and music content

• EyeTV installed for viewing Personal Video Recorder (PVR)

content

• An Internet connection for some features (Web), and firmware

updates

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EyeHome User’s Guide

Step One: Installing the EyeHome Software

To install the EyeHome software:

• Insert the EyeHome CD into your CD/DVD drive.

• Launch the EyeHome installer, and follow the instructions (usually it
will take only a few minutes).

Once the installation is complete, the EyeHome Preference Pane will be
installed in the System Preferences. Use this control to turn the EyeHome server
on and off.

Step Two: Connecting EyeHome to a Television

EyeHome can export video to a wide variety of formats. Choose from the
following outputs, and then use the appropriate cables to hook EyeHome up to
your television (cables are not included):

Video (Europe):

• Composite - This is the basic video connection connection. It uses
a standard yellow-colored composite video cable with a RCA
connector.

• SCART - This is the standard European video-audio connection.

Video (North America):

• S-Video – This is the video connection that provides better picture
quality.

• Component - This is the best video connection possible. It uses
three cables (Red, Green and Blue) to transmit video data. Note: For
component to work, you must select Component in the EyeHome
Settings (See Chapter 4, Preferences/Setup). Otherwise, the screen
will have a blue tint.

• If your television or other display device supports HDTV video scan
rates, you can set EyeHome to use 480p, 720p or 1080i resolutions
with your component cables (See Chapter 4, Preferences/Setup).

Note: Do not use more than one video connection to EyeHome at a time. Picture
quality could be severely degraded.

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Chapter 1 · Installation

EyeHome User’s Guide

Audio:

• RCA audio (not needed if using SCART connection) – Use standard
red and white RCA audio cables to connect to your television.

• S/PDIF Optical - If you want the best audio possible, use this
connection if your audio receiver or television supports it.

Step Three: Connecting EyeHome to a Network

EyeHome must be attached to a network to operate properly. Audio and Video
data is transmitted from your Macintosh to EyeHome by a standard Ethernet
cable.

Connect the included Ethernet cable to EyeHome, and then to a hub, router, or
switch on the same network as your Mac.
Some example setups are:

• You have one Macintosh, connected to the Internet via broadband.
Connect EyeHome to the same hub, router or switch that your Mac
uses, or if you’re lacking Ethernet ports, purchase a compact switch
to connect EyeHome to your network.

• You have multiple Macs, connected to the Internet via broadband.
Connect EyeHome to a free Ethernet port on your hub, router or
switch, just like you would another Macintosh.

• You have one or multiple Macs, connected wirelessly to a Base
Station, which may be connected to the Internet in turn. Use the free
LAN (Local Area Network) port on your Base Station with EyeHome,
or connect EyeHome to the LAN attached to that port.

In case that you want to use your Mac wirelessly, Elgato recommends to use

the Airport Express wireless adapter to add EyeHome to an existing wireless 802.11g
wireless network.

If the network is properly constructed, then data should now be transmitted
between the EyeHome hardware and the EyeHome server.

If you don’t have a network, you can directly connect the EyeHome hardware to
your Mac via a cross-over Ethernet cable, which can be purchased separately.

EyeHome can take advantage of any Internet access you may have, either when

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Chapter 1 · Installation

EyeHome User’s Guide

using the Web section of the EyeHome interface (Chapter 2, Using EyeHome), or
to upgrade the firmware (Chapter 4, Preferences/Setup).

Launching EyeHome for the First Time

• Open the System Preferences in the Apple Menu, and then select
EyeHome.

• Start the EyeHome server by turning Media Sharing on.

• At the top of the Sharing Preferences, give your Macintosh a more
descriptive name. This is how EyeHome will identify your Mac on
the network. EyeHome uses Apple’s Rendezvous technology to
automatically find your Macintosh’s name.

• Turn on your TV, and select the correct A/V input.

• After plugging in the power cord your EyeHome hardware should
turn on automatically. If not, turn on the EyeHome hardware using
the included remote.

• The EyeHome startup screen will appear on your TV.

• Your EyeHome server should show up with your chosen Rendezvous
name. Select it to start using EyeHome.

Registering EyeHome Online

Registering EyeHome entitles you to the following benefits:

• Notification of product updates

• Technical support

• Special Offers

To register:

• Open your web browser and go to

http://www.elgato.com/

eyehome/register.html

• Enter the requested information and click the “Register” button.

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Chapter 1 · Installation

EyeHome User’s Guide

Using EyeHomeChapter 2

This section describes the functions of the EyeHome interface.

Login Screen

When you turn on the EyeHome unit, you will see a startup screen, followed
by the Login screen. This is where you connect to the various Macs that are
running EyeHome software on your network — and add, edit or delete links to
these Macs if necessary.

• Add – Usually, the EyeHome hardware will detect EyeHome software
running on your Macintosh using Apple’s Rendezvous technology. If
your Mac doesn’t show up, you can manually add it. Enter a name to
identify that Macintosh, along with the IP address that can be found
in the Network Preference Pane. You can use the alphanumerical
keypad on the remote to enter letters, numbers and characters.

• Edit – If you want to give your Macintosh another name, or if the
IP address of your Macintosh ever changes, you can adjust the
information in EyeHome by using this function.

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Chapter 2 · Using EyeHome

EyeHome User’s Guide

• Delete – To remove unwanted links to EyeHome servers, press the
Delete button, and then check off those you wish to remove.

Once your Macs running EyeHome software are listed, there will be a colored
circle next to them. If the circle is Red, then that means the EyeHome hardware
has not yet detected that Mac. Once the circle turns Green, you can then login
to your EyeHome.

After selecting your EyeHome, it will take a few seconds before the main
EyeHome screen appears.

EyeHome Screen

The EyeHome interface is a convenient and powerful way to manage and use
the video, audio and photos on your Macintosh. Instead of searching for various
digital media stored around your Macintosh, everything is presented on your
television for easy use.

EyeHome categorizes your media into the following sections:

• EyeTV - All of your stored EyeTV recordings, sorted alphabetically

• Video - Whatever QuickTime files that are in your Movies folder.

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Chapter 2 · Using EyeHome

EyeHome User’s Guide

Specifically, MPEG-1 (.mpg), MPEG-2 (.mpg, .vob), MPEG-4, DIVX,
3IVX and XVID are supported. Other codecs used in .mov files are
not supported. Aliases to content stored elsewhere are supported.

• Music - Your entire iTunes library, sorted by playlist. Other items
in your Music folder will also show up. Aliases to content stored
elsewhere are supported.

• Photo - Every image in your iPhoto library, sorted by album. Other
items in your Pictures folder will also show up. Aliases to content
stored elsewhere are supported.

• Web - Safari bookmarks, as well as pre-chosen links

Jumping from one medium to another is a simple remote press. Instead of
having to start up different applications, EyeHome can play back everything,
formatted especially for your television.

To change sections, simply press the color-coded buttons on the remote, or
use the arrow keys to navigate, and the OK button to choose. Once a section is
active, you can press the right arrow key to start the selection process. Note
that the top of the screen has context dependent commands, like Play All, Back,
or Search, depending on your choice.

If you plan on using EyeHome for an extended period of time, you should set
your Energy Saver preferences not to sleep your hard disks. This will make sure
that the connection to the EyeHome server stays open.

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Chapter 2 · Using EyeHome